Edited to add that I'm still struggling with this and on the lookout for any more advice possible!!!!

I'm nursing my second child, and she's almost 14 months. Her brother nursed until he was 2 years and 3 months, when he self-weaned very gracefully. Both of my kids are stubborn little ones, so I probably know the answer to my question... Still, does anyone have suggestions about how to keep a babe nursing as long as possible? I've hesitated to give her cow's milk, thinking that it might hurry up the process.

Don't make their meals primarily solids...always offer to nurse first. Kellymom.com says at 2 years nursing should still comprise a big part of their daily meals. Offer no bottles of water, juice, milk or sippy cups even.
Always offer to nurse frequently.

Awe man I've been dealing with this too. I don't have anything you probably don't already know so I just wanted to give you a ((hug)). I hope we can make it last til' at least 2. I have found that nursing in the rocking chair in ther bedroom with the lights out RIGHT before going to bed has helped a little. Good luck!!

I'm finding it so weird, but DD (14 months) is resisting nursing even right before naps and at bedtime. At night, she keeps pointing to the door and saying "dada!" I try and try to get her to nurse, and she pushes me away and wants dada. Sigh. She's a huge fan of her dad! (which is great and all, but shesh!)

I'm trying to cut down on her solids and not let her have a cup, but during meals, she goes nuts trying to get everything that the rest of us are eating! My older child is 5, and she watches him and wants what he has. (...and, of course, what dada has!) So I stall and stall on letting her have a cup of water--she hasn't had any cow's milk at all. Sometimes she protests so much that I give in and let her have water.

Throughout the day she will pull at the collar of my shirt, which is her nursing sign, but then when I try to nurse her she'll suck for a minute or less and then fight to get down.

She was tricky to nurse at first because she just wasn't patient enough to wait for the milk to flow, and it's not like I have a particularly slow let-down! She would do what we called the "eat-and-wail," where she would suck, and then scream, suck, and then scream. Of course you don't get a good let-down very quickly with that!

I have tried telling her she has to nurse before bedtime, then putting her into her crib if she refuses to nurse. She wails, and I walk out of the room. I wait a minute or so and then come back in to see if she'll nurse. It did work once, but it seems so very mean--how good can nursing be if I have to make her cry, know what I mean?

I really, really want to keep nursing until she's two. Ok, if she's not going for that, at least until after the cold and flu season is over!! She's a really sweet baby, and I don't want to fight with her. I never ever imagined that this would be such an issue!

Any more advice?? I guess you can't always make these stubborn little people do what you want them to! If it comes down to it, I suppose I could pump and give my milk to her in a cup. So far she won't drink breastmilk in a cup, only water or juice.

I'd say it has been happening slowly. Tonight she wouldn't nurse before bed at all. It's totally making me sad! With my DS (now 5), it was such a natural progression. He slowly cut down on nursing until he was down to just bedtime and first thing in the morning. Then it was just morning, which lasted a few months. He finally quit when he was 2 years and 3 months. I think we were both happy with it. The last morning I offered ("nup nup?") and he said that he'd really rather have a bagel. It was right.

This time it's just too soon! She's only 14 months. I do actually wake her up right before I go to bed to nurse. That's the one time that I can count on her to really nurse well. If she wakes up at night, she really wants to nurse back to sleep. It's strange; even if she woke up an hour ago, she won't go back to sleep without nursing.

DH says that I can't *make* her keep nursing if she doesn't want to. Sigh.

OMG I SWEAR I could have written this same story!! It sucks. Do hang in there though. Kaytlynn is now 17 months and things have gotten much better. She too went through a stage when she didn't want to nurse before naps or going to bed. A couple of days she wouldn't nurse but one or two times at the most. She wouldn't even nurse in the mornings. She is also one that HATES to wait for my let down, she gets very frustrated.
Since about 12 months is when she started getting this way and by about 14 months thats exactly how she was. I just kept trying to get her to nurse. Obviously you can't FORCE Them to nurse but I did offer over and over again. I alos get in the shower with her and she'll nurse there. She is finally to the point where i know that she'll nurse only about 2-3 times a day and once before going to bed. Usually it's only 3 times including that one. I try not to stress about it and TRY to think positive that at least I'm getting those two times for sure. I STILL haven't given milk for the same reason as you. She's VERY small only 19 lbs at 17 months and my doc. told me to start giving her milk. I've decided I'm not ready and just give her more cheese and yougort. Like I said just hang in there. Maybe together we can make it to two years!! Good luck!